What Will You Pay?

Matthew 13: 44-46

Treasure Beyond Measure: The Cost of the Kingdom

Bible Passage: Matthew 13:44–46

Summary: In these parables, Jesus illustrates the immense value of the Kingdom of God, comparing it to hidden treasure and a pearl of great price, showcasing that true discipleship may require sacrificing everything in pursuit of this treasure.

Application: This message encourages believers to evaluate their priorities and be willing to forego earthly comforts for the sake of experiencing the profound joy and fulfillment that comes from belonging to God's Kingdom.

Teaching: Christians will learn that the Kingdom of God is not something to be taken lightly; it requires a heart that is willing to sacrifice superficial desires for a deeper, eternal satisfaction.

How this passage could point to Christ: These parables point to Christ as the ultimate treasure. He is the fulfillment of every promise and the embodiment of the Kingdom, indicating that knowing Him is what makes all sacrifice worthwhile.

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is worth every sacrifice; when we discover its true value, we will joyfully relinquish all for His sake.

Recommended Study: As you prepare, consider exploring the cultural context of treasure-seeking in Jesus' time using Logos. You might find insights into how first-century Jews understood wealth and sacrifice, which can enrich your audience's understanding. Examine the variations in translations of terms like "treasure" and "pearl" to see how different interpretations can enhance your message, focusing on the theological implications of prioritizing the Kingdom.

1. Pursue the Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:44

You could highlight how the man’s discovery and joy lead him to sell everything to gain the treasure, emphasizing the willingness to surrender earthly possessions and comforts for the unsurpassable value of God’s Kingdom. This pursuit reflects Jesus as the ultimate treasure in our lives and challenges the congregation to assess their own priorities and sacrifices in following Christ.

2. Persist for Priceless Pearl

Matthew 13:45-46

Maybe explore the merchant's relentless search for fine pearls, which culminates in finding one of unequaled value. This parable can be used to suggest a deliberate and conscious pursuit of the Kingdom, where discerning its value leads to joyful and complete surrender of personal ambitions. Highlight that Christ embodies the Pearl of great price, urging believers to see His worth and respond with undivided devotion.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lutheran Pastor)

Indianola First Methodist

November 3, 2024

Pavilion Service - Kickoff to Prayer Vigil

Matthew 13: 44-46

Three Dollars Worth of God (by Wilbur Rees)

“I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk

or a snooze in the sunshine.

I don’t want enough of God

to make me love a black man

or pick beets with a migrant.

I want ecstasy, not transformation.

I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth.

I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.”

This was written tongue-in-cheek, sarcastically.  It’s meant to be hyperbolic, to highlight the ridiculousness of requesting $3 worth of God.  After all, you can’t pay for God, can you?  God is not a commodity.  But something else that this little quote is bringing to light is a tendency we have to commodify God.  We live in a world, a culture, that is dominated by commodities.  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing - it’s just our reality.  If we want something, we go out and buy it.  If we have something, or can offer something, that others want or need, we sell it.  We operate within an economy of supply and demand.  This is just basic economics, you don’t need a PhD to understand this concept.

But sometimes we can (usually subconsciously) apply this concept to our spiritual lives.  We tend to think of ourselves as consumers who demand a product or a service - and God as the supplier who offers (or supplies) us with what we want or what we need.  And what Wilbur Rees was getting at in the quote I just read, is the tendency we have to be satisfied with “$3 worth of God.”  We don’t want all of it (or all of Him), we want just enough to be satisfied.  And if that would only cost me 3 bucks - man - that’s a steal!  We’d all sign up for that right now, wouldn’t we?  We wouldn’t even feel that!  Talk about a good value!

But is that how the Kingdom of God works?  Is that how the economy of God operates?  Let’s look at what Jesus says.  Our Scripture for this morning comes from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 13.  This is the same chapter where Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast.  We’re gonna be a little closer to the end of the chapter, beginning in verse 44 - we’re gonna read just 3 short verses.  Hear the Word of the Lord:

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

This is the Word of God, for us, the people of God.  Thanks be to God.

These are likely familiar little parables that we’ve heard many times throughout our lives - and the lesson that is most often taken away is that the Kingdom of God is something that is valuable.  It’s like a great hidden treasure, it’s like a pearl of great price, the Kingdom of God is valuable.  And that is true!  But, if that’s all that we come away with after reading these three little verses, then we’ve missed the point.  So my challenge for us this morning, as is often my challenge when reading familiar passages of Scripture, is to hear these words with fresh ears, and invite the Lord to speak to us, even if (especially if) we think we already know what he’s gonna say.

Let’s look at the first parable, but let’s not just hear words being read - let’s dive into it ourselves, there is a spiritual wisdom in placing ourselves within the stories of Scripture, and it can even be fun!

You know what came to mind for me when I was thinking about this?  This was before my time, but somehow I grew up watching this show.  The Beverly Hillbillies.  Anybody remember that show?  This probably won’t land as well with some of our younger folks here, but do y’all remember the little song at the beginning of the show?

Come and listen to a story

about a man named Jed

A poor mountaineer, barely

kept his family fed,

And then one day he was

shootin at some food,

And up through the ground

came a bubblin crude.

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

There are some here reliving their childhoods, and others wondering what in the world am I talking about.

Well, put yourself in a scene like this.  Huntin’ season is upon us, right?  Imagine you’re out at a huntin’ camp in the Mississippi Delta, you’re by yourself, and you see the biggest buck you’ve ever seen.  You get him in your sights, pull the trigger, and you miss.  I know that’s never happened to anyone here.  But, convinced that you don’t miss, you go and check for blood anyway.  Well, instead of finding blood, you find some of that black gold, that Texas (or Mississippi tea) bubbling up from the ground.  (Y’all have to just go with me, alright?)

You’re by yourself, no one else is around.  You know the family that owns this land, this hunting camp, and they’re trying to sell it. It’s been on the market for a while, but it hasn’t sold.  What do you do?  You go immediately and sell your cars, your house, your stock, your valuables, you sell everything, and you go and make an offer that is well above the asking price.

Can you imagine going home to your family and saying, “Alright, sweetheart, kids, let’s go - don’t worry about packing up, I’ve sold everything - bought us a hunting camp.”  Just imagine for a second how that conversation would go.  There may be some of y’all that have actually thought about how that conversation might go!

But you know something that they don’t, right?  You know how valuable what you just bought really is.  They for sure would think that you’ve gone mad, crazy, the seller might even think that.  But you - you just got a steal, didn’t you?  Remember what I said we normally take away from this parable?  The Kingdom of God is valuable, right?  But here’s what we often miss.  What did it cost you?  It cost you everything.  It cost you everything.

Second parable.  Pretend for a moment you’re a high end jeweler.  Jesus talks about pearls, but we’re probably more familiar with diamonds.  Imagine that a shipment of diamonds comes through your store.  One of those diamonds is perfectly cut, it’s colorless, flawless clarity, and more carats than you can count.  It’s priceless.  You’ve been searching your entire career for a diamond like this, and you can’t let it leave your store.  So what do you do, you sell everything you have, and you buy that diamond.

It’s easy to imagine that the Kingdom of God is like a priceless diamond.  It’s of inestimable worth, it’s of infinite value.  It may even be easy for many of us to say what we “know” about the Kingdom of God, especially that it’s a free gift of grace, that we can’t do anything to achieve, earn, merit, or buy our way into God’s Kingdom.  Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Those are deeply comforting words, and they’re 100% true.  However, Paul is not telling us here to “rest on our laurels.”  While salvation is, indeed, a free gift, and while there’s nothing that we can do to earn or achieve our way into the Kingdom of God, we are still called to participate with God as he transforms our hearts, and our minds, and our wills - as he grows us in a life of holiness and righteousness that is fit for His Kingdom.  And this, y’all, will cost us.  This is what is meant by the phrase, “a high cost for a free gift.”  A high cost for a free gift.

So, my question for all of us today is, “What is the Kingdom of God costing you?”  What is it costing you?  Hear me out, this next part is really important.  Please don’t fall into the trap that I so often do, that many people so often do, that is simply a lie from the enemy.  You may read these parables, or hear the words that I’m saying, and think to yourself, “This is all about money - selling everything I have to buy a field with hidden treasure, or a pearl of great price.  What does that even mean?  What does that even look like for me?”  I think those would be good questions to take with you to the Prayer Vigil.

Maybe God is calling you to examine your finances and what you spend your money on - that’s often a really good indicator of what we value, right? - What we spend our money on.  But don’t just get stuck on money, that’s easy to do and easy to get discouraged.  What is the Kingdom of God costing you with regard to your time?  Have you had to make any sacrifices, or say “No” to something you really wanted to do, or your family or your kids really wanted to do, in order to be more Kingdom minded?  Have you had to swallow your pride and apologize to someone, or ask for forgiveness?  Have you been harboring bitterness towards someone else, unwilling to forgive them?  Forgiveness, humility, meekness - these all cost us something.  But they’re Kingdom values, and what we receive in return, far surpasses what we paid.

Do we want $3 worth of God?  Or do we want all of Him?  There’s the cheap way, and there’s the costly way.  As we prepare our hearts to come to the table this morning, I want to read an extended quote by a guy named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a brilliant and prominent German pastor and theologian who was part of the resistance movement against the evils of Hitler and the Nazi party, and was ultimately hanged for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler (the Führer).  In one of his books, The Cost of Discipleship, he beautifully distinguishes between what he calls “cheap grace” and “costly grace.”  I invite you to just close your eyes, try to limit any distractions, and hear these words:

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.  Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.  Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.  Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

When we come to the table, we receive grace.  Not cheap grace, but costly grace.  The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  He gave everything for you, and for me.  We are called to do the same.  And in the paradoxical economy of the Kingdom of God, we find that when we’re willing to pay the price, when we deny ourselves, when we lose our lives for His sake - it is then, and only then, that we truly begin to live.  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, life abundant.”